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Glite Dictionary
hawksbill

hawksbill

9.4
A tropical sea turtle with a hawk-like beak and a beautiful shell wanted by people
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔksˌbɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tortuga carey
  • The hawksbill sea turtle has a distinctive beak that resembles that of a hawk.
  • hawksbill turtle

Examples

  • Spear fishermen on tropical coral reefs have increased the harvest of juvenile turtles that were previously difficult to get, particularly the valuable hawksbill.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The hawksbill is a small to medium (45-57 kg) carnivorous turtle inhabiting coastal tropical seas and has a fairly common distribution adjacent to tropical reefs.

    Academic text (1994)

  • A hawksbill turtle looking for food.

    Enchanted Kingdom (2014)

  • We spent a rare weekend on a turtle beach with a team that monitored the nesting season of endangered hawksbill sea turtles.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Eighteen individuals were observed, including 10 loggerheads, 2 leatherbacks, 1 hawksbill, and 5 unidentified sea turtles.

    Academic text (1994)

  • For example, hawksbill turtles are endangered in every ocean basin as a result of exploitation of "tortoiseshell" scutes for artisan products.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The country's coral reefs and coastal waters contain some of the highest concentrations of marine species in the Indian Ocean, including the sponge-eating hawksbill turtle.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Trade in wildlife products threatens the survival of jaguars, ocelots, crocodiles, caimans, and hawksbill and green turtles.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Tropical sponges also provide an important food source for hawksbill sea turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, (Witzell, 1983).

    Academic text (1998)

  • A marine park was planned for the Miskito Cays and adjacent Caribbean coastal lagoons habitat for hawksbill and green turtles and manatees.

    Academic text (1990)

Synonyms

hawkbill
vshawksbill
  • Specialized
9.8

A tropical sea turtle with a hooked beak valued for its shell and meat

is valued specifically for its decorative tortoiseshell rather than mainly as food
hawksbill turtle
vshawksbill
  • Specialized
7.5

A sea turtle with a pointed, hawk-like beak and a beautiful patterned shell that is endangered

does not stress danger of extinction, focusing on value of the shell
Eretmochelys imbricata
vshawksbill
  • Specialized
9.9

A tropical sea turtle with a pointed beak and a beautiful patterned shell that is endangered

is the general common description rather than the precise scientific label
tortoiseshell turtle
vshawksbill
8.2

A tropical sea turtle with a hooked beak and a beautiful patterned shell valued for decoration and food

focuses on the shell's value for craft and ornament rather than food
Eretmochelys
vshawksbill
  • Specialized
9.9

A sea turtle with a narrow, pointed beak and a patterned shell

is the single tropical species valued for its shell rather than the whole genus

Compounds

hawksbill turtle
  • Specialized
7.5

A sea turtle with a pointed, hawk-like beak and a beautiful patterned shell that is endangered

Surface Forms

hawksbill singular
hawksbills plural

Morphology

hawksbill = hawk + bill (transparent) = hawk + bill

The name straightforwardly denotes a bird with a beak like a hawk's (originally 'hawk's bill'), so the meaning is directly predictable from the components.

Etymology

Hawksbill comes from the two words hawk and bill, and bill means 'beak', because this turtle has a long, pointed beak like a hawk. So a hawksbill is a tropical sea turtle named for that hawk-like 'beak', and its pretty shell was often valued.